It is believed that improved sports performance can be attained by the intake of so-called sport drinks. They often contain fructose or other sugars, and complex carbohydrates, which are easily absorbed by the body, and are designed to promote the availability of energy and/or prevent or treat mild dehydration. The main problem with glucose, fructose and glucose polymer drink formulae is that they maintain energy levels for a very short time period, e.g. about 15 to 30 minutes. Sports enthusiasts are therefore are compelled to take booster doses of the drink every so often to help maintain their energy for an extended time period. This problem adds considerable inconvenience to the sports enthusiasts as they are required to drink at intervals during long periods of exercise.
In order to overcome this problem of frequent drink administration to athletes and other sports enthusiasts to maintain the required energy levels, it is desirable to design a drink formula that may be drunk prior to the beginning of exercise or the sport event and which will provide energy levels for an extended time period, e.g. 3 or more hours.
The present invention seeks to provide a solution to the above mentioned problem.
The present invention is also useful for other kinds of drinks where extending the release of energy from the drink ingredients is desirable. For example, it is desirable for the elderly and for babies, that fewer drinks be taken than are currently the norm in order to give the same amount of energy. One advantage is that care providers spend less time feeding the elederly and young. Other types of drinks that benefit from the present invention are food supplements, so-called performance drinks, post-exercise drinks (recovery drinks) and drinks for use with cereals (breakfast drink).
Molecular weights indicated herein are weight average molecular weights (Mw)and can be determined by known light scattering methods or gel filtration chromatography methods. Light scattering methods are preferred.